The prices in the art auction market over a year can depend heavily on the overall economic climate, the quality of artworks available, and the excitement they generate among collectors. In 2022, the market reached exceptional heights with the sale of the prestigious collection of Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen at Christie’s, where five works exceeded the $100 million mark. Adding to the record-breaking year, Andy Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn sold at Christie’s for nearly $200 million. Never before had there been so many nine-figure sales in a single year.
In contrast, 2023 saw only two paintings surpass that threshold. So, how did 2024 stack up? Read on to find out.
10. Mark Rothko, Untitled (Yellow and Blue), 1954
Compared to previous years, the top 10 auction results of 2024 began on a relatively modest note, with Mark Rothko's Untitled (Yellow and Blue) selling for "only" $32.5 million (252.5 million HKD). The 1954 artwork was featured in Sotheby’s Modern & Contemporary Evening Auction in Hong Kong on November 11. This piece had last appeared at auction in May 2015 at Sotheby’s New York, where the current consignor acquired it for $46.5 million.
See also: Mark Rothko: The Emotional Power of Colour
9. Vincent van Gogh, Coin de jardin avec papillons, May-July 1887
When a relatively modest garden corner sells for $33.2 million, it’s clear the artist behind it wasn’t just anyone—it was a master like Vincent van Gogh. Painted between May and July 1887 in Paris, Coin de jardin avec papillons represents a pivotal moment in van Gogh’s career. During this period, he began shaping the style for which he is celebrated today, drawing inspiration from studies like this one and the Pointillist technique. The painting was auctioned on May 16 as part of Sotheby’s 20th Century Evening Sale in New York.
See also: A Hidden Self-portrait of Vincent van Gogh Discovered
8. Claude Monet, Meules à Giverny, 1893
In 2019, Claude Monet's Meules (1890) became the most expensive auction sale of the year, purchased for $110.7 million by software billionaire Hasso Plattner. In 2024, another painting from the celebrated Impressionist series made it into the top 10—though only in 8th place. Meules à Giverny (1893) changed hands on May 15 in New York during Sotheby’s Modern Evening Auction, fetching $34.8 million. This piece was painted near Monet’s garden in Giverny, where he would soon create his iconic water lily pond—a subject that would captivate him for the final thirty years of his life and career.
See also: 10 Record-Breaking Artworks and Who Bought Them
7. Andy Warhol, Flowers, 1964
In 1964, Andy Warhol found inspiration for his iconic Flowers screenprint series not in nature, but—true to his style—in a photograph of hibiscus flowers published in Modern Photography magazine. Warhol reworked the image to fit his vision, giving the flowers his signature Pop Art transformation. This marked the start of a groundbreaking series—and a legal dispute. The original photographer claimed Warhol's adaptation infringed on her copyright, but the matter was eventually settled amicably. Like the 9th entry on this list, Flowers was included in Sotheby’s 20th Century Evening Sale in New York on May 16, where it sold for $35.5 million.
See also: Pop Art in Bloom: Andy Warhol's Flowers
6. Gustav Klimt, Portrait of Miss Lieser, 1917
Reviewing past auction Top 10s, one thing becomes evident: the detour we are about to take is quite unusual, leading us to Vienna. In January 2024, the local auction house im Kinsky announced a sensational rediscovery—a late work by Gustav Klimt thought to have been lost for nearly a century. On April 24, the long-awaited moment arrived when Portrait of Miss Lieser headlined the "Gustav Klimt Sale." The painting sold for €30 million (€38.5 million including buyer’s premium, or $40.4 million), setting a new auction record for Austria.
The previous record had been held since 2017, when Frans Francken the Younger’s The Man Who Must Choose Between Virtues and Vices fetched €7.02 million at Dorotheum.
See also: Lost for 100 Years, A Rediscovered Klimt Portrait Now Goes to Auction
5. René Magritte, L’ami intime, 1958
The year 2024 marked the 100th anniversary of André Breton's Manifeste du Surréalisme, bringing special attention to this influential artistic movement. To celebrate, Christie’s held The Art of the Surreal Evening Sale in London on March 7. Among the standout lots was René Magritte’s L'ami intime (1958), a work whose evocative title contrasts sharply with the emotional detachment of the man shown from behind. This important piece, last seen in a public exhibition in 1998, sold for £33.7 million ($42.1 million).
See also: An Iconic Magritte Masterpiece Heads to Auction
4. Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (ELMAR), 1982
As in 2023, Jean-Michel Basquiat secured fourth place in this year’s ranking of top auction sales. At Phillips in New York, his large-scale Untitled (ELMAR) from the pivotal year of 1982 went under the hammer for the first time after spending four decades in private ownership. The piece has been featured in numerous major exhibitions, including the memorial show marking the 10th anniversary of the artist’s death at Gagosian Los Angeles (1998) and the artist’s retrospective at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris (2018). During Phillips’ Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale on May 14, the work sold for $46.5 million to its new owner.
See also: The Basquiat Boom: His 5 Most Expensive Paintings
3. Claude Monet, Nymphéas, 1914-17
"Good things come to those who wait" is a well-known saying, but in this case, it should be altered to "the most expensive," as the top three positions on this list were, of all the works listed here, the last to be auctioned. On November 18, Sotheby’s hosted an evening auction featuring art from the collection of beauty entrepreneur and philanthropist Sydell Miller, which included renowned names like Picasso, Matisse, Kandinsky, and Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne. However, the greatest anticipation was reserved for Claude Monet’s Nymphéas, once again depicting the water lily pond in the garden at Giverny. With an estimated value of $60 million, the painting far surpassed expectations, ultimately selling for $65.5 million.
See also: Monet’s Seminal Nymphéas Debuts at $30 Million in Hong Kong
2. Ed Ruscha, Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half, 1964
Ed Ruscha’s Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half, painted in 1964, was one of the standout lots at Christie’s 20th Century Evening Sale on November 19 in New York. The last large-scale work by Ruscha from the 1960s in private hands, it sold for $68.2 million, setting a new record for the artist. The previous record had been set in 2019 with Hurting the Word Radio #2, also from 1964, which sold for $52.4 million at Christie’s.
See also: The New York Marquee Sales: A $6 Million Banana and More
1. René Magritte, L'empire des lumières, 1954
Just before the 20th Century Evening Sale, Christie’s New York auctioned 19 works from the collection of interior designer and philanthropist Mica Ertegun, totaling $184 million. The highlight of the offering was René Magritte’s L'empire des lumières (1954), which fetched $121.2 million, setting a new auction record not only for the artist but also for any surrealist artwork. This result marked a significant increase from Magritte's previous record, set in 2022 with another version of L'empire des lumières, which sold for £59.4 million (approximately $79 million).
See also: This Magritte Masterpiece Sets Two Records
As for the artists featured in the 2024 list, there were no surprises. All are well-known names that have appeared in the Top 10 auction sales at least once since 2019, with Mark Rothko performing the best, securing five placements. While Picasso is absent from this year's list, this was also the case in 2020 and 2022, though he claimed first place in both 2021 and 2023.
Unfortunately, it is worth noting once again that no female artist has made it into the top ranks. The closest was Leonora Carrington, whose Les Distractions de Dagobert set a new auction record for the artist, achieving $28.485 million in May at Sotheby’s, securing 13th place on the list of the highest art sales of 2024.
